Garment.



R. W. DAVIS;

GARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR.27, 1914.

1,125,667, Patented Jan; 19, 1915.

ROBERT WILLIAM DAVIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented an. 19, 1915.

Application filed April 27, 1914. Serial No. 834,752.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, ROBERT W. DAVIS, a prospective ,citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in garments which are plaited, and has particular reference to the means used for the maintenance of the folds, creases, and plaits in proper relative positions' Among the objects of my invention is the provision of resilient means for maintaining the folds and plaits of a garment in proper position, yet capable of yielding under tension whenever necessary; to construct such meansv at small expense; and to arrange a manner of attachment to the garment which is secure, but capable also of disconnection whenever required.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a plaited skirt, in

, whichthe device of the present invention is employed; Fig. 2 is' a horizontal section through the garment on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, enlarged, showing the tension means used in its rela .tion' to the plaits of the garment; Fig. 4

is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 5

is a front elevation of the tension means shown inFig. 3, in operative position upon the garment.

It will be understood that a skirt is illustrated and described as typifying one gar.- ment with which the present invention may be employed. The figures show a number of plaits 6, which may be disposed in any manner and direction as is desirable, these plaits consisting of an inner section 7 an outer section 8, and a connecting portion 9 intermediate these sections.

The device of the present invention is best shown in Figs. 3, 4: and 5, and should be fastened or secured in place preferably where its presence will be concealed, usually on the inner side of the garment. The number used and the place of attachment ob-' viously may vary according to requirement and wishes, so that description of but one such devi e is deemed necessary. This device'is in the nature of tension means 10 comprising a wire coiled as at 11, the ends 12 being extended tangentially and'convergingly.

The terminus of each end 12 is shaped to which is preferably flaring or out-turned; such hooked portions being capable of engaging with each other when the ends 12 are crossed as shown. in Fig. 5. In such position, due to the tension exerted by the coil 11, the hooked ends will normally remain in constant engagement. The tension dev1ce 10 is secured in position with each of the hooks 13 operatively secured within a loop 14 formed one on the body of the skirt and the other at the juncture of the sections 9 and 7 of the garment plait.

As previously explained, the action of the device is such as to cause the hooks 13 to lie inengagement with each other, and this action results in the loops 14 being drawn as closely together as the garment will permit,

thus holding the plait securely and in relatively flat position against the body of the garment. It is obvious that for purposes of pressing and repairing, and for other requirements, the devices may be disconnected by unhooking the hook 13 from the loops 14. At other times, however, the tension devices should preferably be secured in place, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

Several advantages inhere in the form of tension means which I have described, and in 'the manner in which connection is made to the garment. In the first place, the coiled part is relatively flat, enabling the device to lie snugly in the garment folds. Again, considerable tension is obtainable by the coil constructionwhich may not easily be lost. Also, the hooked ends have a fixed and definite normal position, determined by their mutual engagement, while at the same time such ends may yield under tension to permit expansion or enlargement of the garment whenever occasion requires. In addition to the foregoing, the labor of connecting and disconnecting is reduced to a minimum, as the hooked ends can be made to point in the same direction, be substantially parallel and on the same level, and when secured in position be incapable of accidental unhooking as the body ofthe device hangs downwardly under the action of gravity.

I claim: I

1. In combination with a plaited garment, means for holding the folds of a plait in proximity to the garment, comprising a tension device providedwith two acting elements normally in mutual engagement, and means for securing said elements, one to the garment body and the other to the plait fold to maintain the same in close proximity, substantially as described.

2. In combination With a plaited garment, tension means for holding the folds of a plait in proximity to the garment, said means being resilient to permit unfolding of said plait under tension and to normally draw said fold into. plaited position, said means for holding the folds of a plaitin proximity to the garment, comprising a tension device which normally maintains the plait folds in position While undertension, said device being removable from the garment at will, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a plaited garment,

means for holding the folds of a plait in proximity to the garment, comprising a tension device shaped to provide two acting elements, the ends thereof being crossed and bent to normally remain in engagement with each other, and means for securing sald ends, one to the garment body and the other to the plait fold, whereby said parts are held in mutual proximity, substantially as described.

ROBERT WILLIAM DAVIS. Witnesses: V LUKE H. PARSONS, THos. J. BLACK. 

